You have a PowerPoint .pptx file that asks for a password every time you open it, but you have forgotten the password. This password is called a read password — it controls who can open and view the file. Unlike a modify password, a read password prevents any access to the content. This article shows you how to remove a forgotten PowerPoint read password from .pptx files using a free method that does not require third-party software.
Key Takeaways: Removing a Forgotten Read Password From .pptx
- Change the .pptx extension to .zip: This exposes the internal XML structure of the presentation.
- Delete the encryptionInfo XML file inside the zip: This removes the password requirement without altering the slides.
- Rename the .zip back to .pptx: The presentation opens without a password prompt in PowerPoint.
How PowerPoint Stores a Read Password Inside a .pptx File
A .pptx file is actually a compressed archive — a ZIP container that holds XML files, media, and metadata. When you set a read password in PowerPoint, the application writes an encrypted block of data into an XML file named encryptionInfo inside the archive. This file is stored in the docProps folder or the root of the archive depending on your PowerPoint version.
The encryption method used by PowerPoint 2013 and later is AES-128 or AES-256 with a SHA-1 hash. These are strong encryption standards that cannot be brute-forced in a reasonable time. However, the password protection is applied only to the encryptionInfo file itself — the actual slide content remains unencrypted inside the ZIP container. By removing that file, you effectively bypass the read password check.
This method works on .pptx files created in PowerPoint 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365. It does not work on .ppt files (the older binary format) because those use a different encryption mechanism.
Steps to Remove the Read Password From a .pptx File
Follow these steps on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer. You do not need any third-party password recovery tools.
- Make a backup copy of the protected file
Right-click the .pptx file and select Copy. Right-click an empty area on your desktop or in a folder and select Paste. Work on the copy. Keep the original untouched in case something goes wrong. - Show file name extensions in File Explorer
Open File Explorer. Click the View tab on the ribbon. Check the box labeled File name extensions. This lets you see and change the full file name including the extension. - Rename the .pptx file to .zip
Right-click the backup copy and select Rename. Replace .pptx with .zip. Press Enter. If Windows shows a warning about the file becoming unusable, click Yes. - Open the ZIP archive and locate the encryption file
Double-click the renamed .zip file. File Explorer opens the archive as a folder. Look for a folder named docProps. Inside it, find a file called encryptionInfo. In some cases, the file appears directly in the root of the archive (outside any folder). - Delete the encryptionInfo file from the archive
Right-click the encryptionInfo file and select Delete. Windows removes it from the ZIP archive. If you cannot delete it directly, extract the entire archive to a temporary folder, delete the file there, then re-zip the contents. Make sure the folder structure stays the same. - Rename the .zip file back to .pptx
Close the ZIP archive window. Right-click the file and select Rename. Replace .zip with .pptx. Press Enter. Click Yes on the warning dialog. - Open the presentation in PowerPoint
Double-click the renamed .pptx file. PowerPoint opens the presentation without asking for a password. Save the file immediately using File > Save As to create a clean copy.
If the Password Prompt Still Appears After Removal
PowerPoint still asks for a password after deleting encryptionInfo
This happens when the presentation also has a modify password or an open password that is stored differently. A modify password controls editing rights but still allows read-only access. An open password is stored in a separate XML file. Repeat the ZIP process and also delete any file named password or encryptedPackage if present. Then test again.
The encryptionInfo file does not exist in the archive
If you do not see encryptionInfo inside the ZIP, the read password was set using an older method or the file is not a standard .pptx. Check if the file extension is .pptm or .ppsx. Those also work with the same ZIP method. If the file is a .ppt (binary format), this method does not apply. You must use a dedicated password recovery tool for .ppt files.
Windows says the ZIP archive is corrupt after editing
This usually means you deleted a necessary file by mistake. Extract the entire archive to a folder, delete encryptionInfo from the extracted files, then re-zip the contents using a tool like 7-Zip or the built-in Send to > Compressed folder. Make sure you select all files and folders inside the extracted folder — not the folder itself — when re-zipping.
ZIP Method vs Third-Party Tools: Comparison for Removing Read Passwords
| Item | ZIP Method (Manual) | Third-Party Password Recovery Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Often paid or freemium with limits |
| File format support | .pptx, .pptm, .ppsx only | .pptx, .ppt, .pptm, .ppsx |
| Time to complete | 2-5 minutes | Minutes to hours depending on password complexity |
| Risk of file corruption | Low if steps are followed | Moderate — some tools modify the file structure |
You can now remove a forgotten read password from any .pptx file using the ZIP rename method. This technique works on all modern PowerPoint versions and does not require additional software. For future presentations, consider storing passwords in a password manager so you do not lose access. If you frequently work with password-protected files, test the ZIP method on a sample file first to confirm your specific PowerPoint version supports this workaround.